wadias futureis tenous at best
Chord Cutest or Wadia 321
Has anyone here had a chance or spent some time with either of these DACs? I currently have the Chord Cutest and have the opportunity to trade for the Wadia 321 which I haven’t heard. The Wadia is an older DAC released in 2014 vs the Chord which I believe was released 2018. The Wadia does not support DSD. However, most of what I listen to is 24/192 or lower. I’m curious if the older Wadia might out perform the new Chord. Or, should I stick with the Chord? I am currently using Magnepan LRS Plus or Martin Logan CLS depending on the mood. Thank you for any input or advice.
I am using a Ifi Zen Stream to the Chord DAC using a Audioquest Diamond USB.
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- 13 posts total
I'm using the Qutest with the M-Scaler. If you want to expand your system look into a Chord M-Scaler new or used it is fantastic and allows you to upscale to 705.6 and 768khz and native DSD512 using dual BNC cables (supplied with the M-Scaler). Then get a Lumin U2 or U2 mini and you'll be set for a long time. Happy listening. |
In terms of features, the Chord Cutest supports DSD playback, while the Wadia 321 does not. However, since you mention that you mostly listen to 24/192 or lower, this may not be a significant factor for you. |
I did purchase the Wadia. After listening to the Wadia over a few days, I prefer the Wadia in my system. The Chord DAC is great but it seemed to place certain elements like vocals or main instruments to far forward leaving the rest of the music too far in the background for my liking. The Wadia still has great depth of image but seems a bit more balanced. At least in my system. |
- 13 posts total